A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby popularly known as Tarzan has lambasted the party’s members of Parliament’s decision to allow the Finance Minister to stay in office until after the IMF negotiation is done.
According to him, that decision is shameful and betrays the confidence that their constituents imposed on them in the august house.
Speaking on Joy FM Morning Show on Thursday, October 27, 2022, and monitored by Republic Press, Tarzan said the over 80 NPP MPs who demanded the removal of Mr Ofori-Atta and backtracked have lost their credibility.
He clarified that this is because they failed to prosecute their agenda to full conclusion.
“The people who originally issued this statement said that Mr Ofori-Atta has lost credibility and therefore this was affecting the discussions and pace of the outcome of the negotiations.
“The whole statement was premised on the need for change now. So the recent statement has now added them to those who have lost credibility.
“People don’t understand that it is not the Fund that is telling us what to do. We have to present a credible programme that they can add their credibility to it to ensure that others can see us as credible,” he stated.
“So the complete U-turn for me is nothing but shameful. They have joined the group of incredulous politicians and the incredulous Executive,” he added.
But the Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Government (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, who also contributed to the subject said President Akufo-Addo is in a very difficult position given the fact that it is his own party leading the request, thus, it was important for him to negotiate with them.
“I do not think the President has had his way except that he said we are in a negotiation and in some weeks to come, steps will be taken.
“I don’t know how the negotiation went but if they trusted their leader that his word will be done in terms of the minister standing down, this is the position they’ve taken and we should hold them to it,” Dr Akwetey stated.
On Tuesday, October 25, 2022, some Majority MPs in Parliament organized a press conference to demand the dismissal of Mr Ofori-Atta, the finance minister.
According to them, the continuous stay of Ken Ofori-Atta in office was delaying the IMF bailout the country was seeking because the Minister has lost all credibility.
They had thus petitioned the President to either remove him or face a boycott in Parliament.